Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Painful Miracles ❯ Finally Free ( Chapter 16 )

Finally Free

Warm morning sunlight filtered into the dirt floored dungeon through a high window with thin bars to land on the skinny, beaten, dirty form of a young man. He was huddled under the window; sleeping as best he could on the cold, dirt floor of his cell. His eyes blinked open at the warmness on his side as he rolled over onto his back to look up into the blinding light, not caring that it burned his eyes to do so. He wished to go blind so he wouldn't have to see the horrid beatings he received day in and day out.

He let out a sad sigh, wincing in pain as he got up. He scratched his dirty black hair, watching dirt tumble out of it to rest on the ground. He was like a broken, dirty toy, but not broken enough to be given to charity. Death had rejected him time and time again, refusing to take him away from this pain. His father forced him to stay in this place to be beaten and experimented on since his mother died when he was six. Without her protection, his father used him, manipulated his mind, body and soul.

But, he would not be here for much longer. He was being kept alive for a reason and he wasn't going to die here. Life Stream has show him mercy and he was going to repay it some how. He was going to escape and soon. The guards would be there shortly to get him or more radiation from Mako. One guard was all it usually took to take him out, but tonight he would show them otherwise.

He stood up, his knees cracking loudly as he did so. He walked to the bars of his cell as two guards came down the dirt path to his cell. Both guards carried a sword and tasser staff. ShinRa also mutated both. They had distorted faces and their limbs peaked off in different directions. They were hideously strong and smelled horribly of death.

One guard smirked at him, and made a motion with his oddly shaped mouth that looked like a smirk, but he wasn't sure. The other guard unlocked the cell and grabbed him by the wrists, dragging him out.

"Well, Setsuna, your father has something special planned for you tonight." The guard holding him said in his weird raspy voice. Setsuna smiled inwardly, waiting for the right moment to strike. But his hopes fell as one guard fashioned a collar around his neck, smirking retardedly at him. This collar would shock him horribly if he tried to escape....

"Your father told us you'd try to escape and we can't have that, now can we?" Said the guard that was walking beside him. Setsuna scowled at him and kept his mouth shut. These guards had a mean backhand if provoked. His face couldn't take another beating. He'd have to think of another way to escape.

The guards guided him through many corridors and passages that were hidden under the old ShinRa mansion in Neiblaham until they reached one of the many operating rooms. One of the guards strapped him to a metal table that stood upright in the center of the large white room. .:Not totally white:. Setsuna thought as the guards walked out. The walls and floor were stained with blood and sin from his fathers and ShinRa's evil minds. Screams of previous experiments echo in the halls and rooms of this hell. Their souls would be forever trapped in this hollowed place to suffer forever.

It wasn't long before his father was in the room, smirking at him with the sin filled eyes of the devil himself. "You were foolish to believe you could escape me!" His father shouted, punching Setsuna hard in the face. Setsuna said nothing as he spit out the blood that had formed in his mouth. He then glared back it his father, meeting his fathers cold, sapphire eyes.

"I will not stay here another second longer..." Setsuna growled out, struggling to break his restraints. It only he could find his Crimson Star....He could kill his father and escape....

"You forget, Setsuna, that I can read your every thought. You cannot hide anything from me." His father answered, looking down at him vindictively.

"The only reason you can is because of me, you bastard!" Setsuna was beside himself with rage. His father had taken samples from his brain and had them analyzed only to find out that Setsuna, like his mother, had the ability to read minds. Not very well, but still enough to catch a thought from whoever was thinking it. His father had put him through pain and torture and was furious with the results. He had beat Setsuna within an inch of his life when he found that all of his test had done nothing to developed Setsuna's power further.

"Do not speak to me that way boy. You know what I could do to you, and.." His father was cut off when a soldier walked into the room.

"Mr. Silver" The soldier stood at attention with a stiff salute and continued. "We have yet to find the Valentine or the Gainsburough girl, But Strife's daughter has been seen in Midgar with Mrs. Lockhart." The soldier reported and remained stiff as Marcus' eyes flashed with anger.

"How hard is it to find two little wenches? And if Strife's daughter is in Midgar, go and get her and bring her here!" Marcus' screamed, making the soldier flinch from his stiff position.

"Yes sir!" The soldier replied obediently, saluting Marcus and turning to leave.

Marcus rolled his eyes and turned to face Setsuna again, rubbing his aching temples. Setsuna glared at him. He knew those girls would die if they came here, but maybe if he escaped he could warn them... Midgar was only a day or to journey from Neiblaham, he could make it.

"Boy, I've warned you. You're never getting out of here and if you think you can, by all means, try." Marcus spat, his voice dripping with evil intentions and sarcasm.

"One day I'll kill you..."Setsuna said hatefully. "I will escape, you wait and see."

Marcus only laughed and punched Setsuna again. "You're pathetic, just like your whore of a mother. If you haven't escaped by now, you won't escape at all. Get your head out of the clouds and quit dreaming. You're stuck here and the only escape you'll get is when and if I decide to kill you. It's a wonder you're even still alive....." Marcus finished with a cruel smile, unaware that Setsuna had a plan brewing in his mind at that very moment.

Setsuna's temper raged hotter than an inferno at his fathers words regarding his mother. She was a respectable woman, who, like the others in this place, was forced into copulation and torture. Setsuna's mind raced with pent up anger and pain as he willed his mind to release the restraints on the table. The metal cuffs came lose and fell to the floor with a clatter, startling Marcus out of his demonic state.

Setsuna stood in front of his father, his emerald eyes boring into his fathers blue ones.

"How did you..." Setsuna cut Marcus off with his own evil laugh.

"How long did you think you could control me father? How long did you think it would be until I develop my powers enough to escape? You're the pathetic one, Father. You underestimate your own creations." Setsuna's eyes blazed with hatred for his father.

Marcus' astonished features shifted back into the calm, demonic face he always worn. In his sapphire eyes burned the soul of the devil and every fire of hell.

"My son, you amuse me to the point of laughter. You cannot honestly imagine that I would not know this day would come. I have been prepared for this for years." He retorted, chuckling. Marcus snapped his fingers as a group of men dressed in black lab coats ran in. Setsuna looked around as roughly a dozen me came in. Some had weapons, others had needles filled with god knows what, and each on was buff beyond belief. Setsuna sighed to himself. He was outnumbered but he'd find a way out of this hellhole and a way to warn those girls before they ended up here again.

The black clad men advanced toward Setsuna, weapons and needles raised, defenses up, while Setsuna's mind raced with a plan. He had to get past these men and his father, make it the weapons store room to find his Crimson Star and then get to Midgar before nightfall. It was dangerous to roam the world at night, especially in his state.

Setsuna looked up from his plan just in time to catch a fist in his hand before it connected with his face. He slowly closed his fist around the opposing fist, hearing the bones crushing between his fingers. He used his free hand to punch the man in the stomach and toss him aside. He took on the next man, smiling inwardly to himself. All the secret training he did in his cell was really paying off. He finished off the rest of the men and dashed out the door, his father screaming for guards.

Setsuna ran as fast as his bruised legs would let him, blindly guessing which way to go. He knew as soon as he was out of the basement of the mansion he could easily find the weapons storeroom and get out, but the guards that guarded the gates of Neiblaham were the strongest ones his father had ever created besides those girls and few others and himself. He'd have to find away around them. He could already feel his strength slipping.

Setsuna looked behind him and saw that guards were quickly gaining on him as he ran. He ran up the stairs three at a time and dashed into the weapons storeroom. He barricaded the door with a chair and began to search the weapon racks and bins for his weapon. He searched quickly, knowing it wouldn't take long for those beast-like men to get in the room.

His face lit up as his hands grasped the cool, star shaped metal of the Wind Striker. He let his hands run the five points as he grabbed Materia off of one of the walls and inserted them into each of the slots on the five points. He then raced for the opposite door and was in the ballroom of the mansion. He ran the length of the room with the soldiers on his heals and finally made it to the front door. He was almost free.

As his hand closed around the rusty brass doorknob he felt a siring pain in his calf. On of the guards was threw a dagger and it had imbedded itself into his leg. Setsuna grasped the object and pulled as hard as he could, but it was in the bone. If he wanted to live, it would have to stay there for the time being.

He yanked open the door and began to run again. This time slower because of the growing pain in his leg. Blood was leaving trails of crimson behind him, but he couldn't stop. The pain would be much worse if he were to be captured again. He scrambled over the wall that surrounded Neiblaham to avoid the guards and landed with a thud and pain-filled groan. He quickly composed himself and dashed away from the hordes of guards that ran from the gates of the town.

He ran far and fast, regardless of his leg and soon he was confident enough to look over his shoulder, only to find panting soldiers far behind him. He was safe for now, but for how long?

Setsuna ran long into the night, trying hard to get to Midgar before morning and his father. His father was planning to raid sector seven slums and massacre thousands to find on of the girls that were supposedly hiding there. He had to stop him before innocent children lost their lives and women were mercilessly raped. But his body was growing tired and the pain in his leg was growing worse. More and more blood spilt from his wound and it was beginning to take its toll on Setsuna's battered body. Setsuna's eyes began to focus and un-focus as the lights of a small farmhouse shined like a beckon up ahead. He had never been so happy to see lights in his life. He reached the house and knocked before his body finally fell into unconsciousness on the steps of the home.

A woman opened the door and looked around before looking down on the beaten form of Setsuna. She let out a gasp and called for her husband. Her husband came to her call and lifted Setsuna's petite form into his arms. His wife gathered medical supplies as the man laid Setsuna on the couch and went off to his business again.

The woman quickly pulled off Setsuna's shirt and laid his weapon on the floor beside the couch, before she grabbed the dagger in her hand and pulled, yanking the metal out of Setsuna's leg which woke him with a jolt of pain. He let out a cry and was soothed by the woman's soft, melodic voice.

"Shhh...It'll be okay, young man. Please calm down." She whispered, wetting a rag and putting on Setsuna's forehead. Setsuna laid against the pillows again and looked at the woman. She couldn't have been older than thirty, with soft but wise gray eyes. Her hair had once been blonde but was now tinted silver and white, even in her young age.

"What's your name?" Setsuna whispered. Watching her tear his tattered jeans below his knee and begin to wrap his wound.

"My name his Christine Gale." She answered softly, smiling up at him. "What is yours?"

"My name is Setsuna..." He began. He refused to use his fathers last name, just as his mother had. He would use his mother's last name. It was much more fitting than Silver was. "Setsuna MorningStar."

"That is a very lovely name." She smiled sweetly, tending to Setsuna's various other bumps, scrapes and bruises. "May I ask how you got to be in this state? You look like hell."

Setsuna bit his bottom lip in nervousness. He couldn't tell her the truth or she could send him right back to ShinRa and now that he was free; he never wanted to return there again.

"I've been searching for my three sisters and I was attacked by some beasts in the night while I was camping." He lied, hoping she'd buy that.

"Oh how awful! You poor dear!." She said sympathicly. She was acting as if he was her own son and it made Setsuna feel good. He'd always wanted to be cared for by someone and now a complete stranger was over reacting about some kid she just found unconscious on her front steps.

Setsuna closed his eyes for a minute and then sat bolt upright on the couch, startling Christine. "How far is Midgar from here?" He practically shouted at the poor woman.

"It's about five miles that way." She said pointing out the window. "But you can't go anywhere like this. It'll take three days for you to be able to travel with that leg of yours!" She snapped, trying to push him back down on the couch.

"Please miss! You don't understand, if I don't get to Midgar by morning my sisters will be killed!" He shouted, holding Christine's hand in his and shaking her a bit.

At that moment, Christine's husband walked over to them and looked down at Setsuna. Setsuna dropped the woman's hand and stared up at the man.

"Jefferson, he's only a boy. Please don't hurt him." Christine pleaded, standing up and putting a hand on her husband's beefy arm.

"I'm not going to hurt him, Christine. I'm going to help him." Jefferson smiles warmly at Setsuna. "He seems to be a good lad and he needs our help. If he thinks he can make it to Midgar with that damaged leg, then I wish him all the best."

Setsuna looked up at Jefferson with a appreciative smile and spoke; "Thank you so much, Sir. How can I repay you?"

"You don't have to repay me anything. It's very brave of you to go off and help your sisters in your condition. I only ask one thing..." Jefferson seemed to choke on that last part, as if he was going to cry.

"Anything sir, anything." Setsuna replied.

"Stay away from ShinRa. They are terrible people." At his words, Christine let out a loud sob and covered her face with her hands. Jefferson wrapped a reassuring arm around her trembling shoulder to try and calm her.

His words struck Setsuna like a knife. If the man only knew where Setsuna really came from and the real reason why he was going to Midgar. "May I ask why?" He asked hesitantly, afraid of being hit by one of Jefferson's meaty fists.

Jefferson took a deep breath and coughed, seeming to Setsuna that he was trying to swallow his emotion before he spoke. "Our son went to them to join SOLDIER and when we saw him again, he was a mutated mess of a freak and he didn't even remember us. ShinRa had come here on a raid and their SOLDIERS forced us to let them stay here while they raided various towns, our son among the raiding parties. After that, they set Mako traps that nearly killed my wife and I, luckily we made it out alive with only slight Mako poisoning." He finished his story as a renegade tear leaked out of his eye and down his wrinkled cheek.

" I'll stay far away, I promise." Setsuna swore to them, hoping they never saw the glowey tint of Mako in his emerald eyes.

`In that case, follow me." Jefferson turned away from Setsuna and walked away, through the kitchen and out what seemed to be that back door. Setsuna got up off the couch a bit reluctantly, and groaned in pain as the weight of his body pressed fully on his legs. He began to walk towards the kitchen, but Christine held him back.

"Please, be careful. And take these with you." She handed him a small black leather bag with a pair of pants and medical supplies inside. Then she held out a black T-shirt and a black leather trench coat. Setsuna smiled gratefully at her and pulled on the shirt. Then she helped him into the coat and handed him the bag.

"A perfect fit." She smiled, her voiced choked with emotion as tears slid down her soft, smiling cheeks.

It suddenly hit Setsuna that the cloths he was wearing were formally her only son's. This made Setsuna heart pain with sympathy for the couples loss. He now had another reason to kill ShinRa and his father. He would then bring their son back and find a cure for him, even if it killed him.

"Thank you so much for your kindness, Miss." He thanked her and then took her in his arms and hugged her, surprised when she hugged him back. And for the first time since he was very little he felt the warmth of a motherly hug and warmth it brought to the soul and heart.

After he released her from his embraced he kissed her cheek and walk out the back door. He found Jefferson standing beside a Chocobo, fixing a blanket into it's golden feathered back. Setsuna walked over to him and saw reluctance in the middle-aged man's eyes.

"Don't worry sir, I'll stand clear of ShinRa and their sins. Please don't worry about me. Even if I die, what have you lost?" Setsuna tried to sound cheerful, but he knew their world was darkening and hard times would soon be upon them. He knew his father was planning something big, what he was planning, Setsuna did not know. He only knew they would be doomed if ShinRa was not stopped.

"I would have lost the kindness and warmth of a wounded stranger." Jefferson answered, putting a hand on Setsuna's shoulder. Setsuna couldn't help but feel saddened by the kindness of these people. They took in a complete stranger, a stranger that had lied to them no doubt, and had taken care of him like he was a family member. Setsuna hadn't been treated this kindly since his before his father had murdered his mother--no, not father, Marcus, the leader of ShinRa. Who would soon be a dead man.

Jefferson let go of Setsuna's shoulder and helped him onto the warking Chocobo. "Goodbye, Jefferson. Our paths will cross again, I promise."

"I'm sure they will, lad. Take care." Jefferson replied, holding out his hand to Setsuna.

Setsuna shook it and then took off, not daring to look over his shoulder for fear that he would begin to cry. He'd held his emotion in this long; he wasn't going to let it out now.

Morning began to trickle across the ebony night as the sun pocked it's head over the horizon. Setsuna was exhausted, but pure hatred and worry kept him awake and moving. Soon the town of Midgar came into view and it was swarming with ShinRa's lakies. He would have to be very sneaky to get by them, but he knew, deep down he knew that he was to late.